HUNDREDS WITHOUT GAS FOR WEEK

SDG&E says pipe leaks at San Marcos mobile home park a safety issue

Hundreds of residents in a San Marcos mobile home park have been without gas for more than a week, leaving them without warm showers, oven-cooked meals and clean laundry.

Crews have been working for days to fix the problem — leaks in the park’s underground pipes — and are hopeful that service could be restored today ﻿to at least part of the 192-slot San Marcos View Estates, the homeowners association said Wednesday evening.

There’s no estimate on when the rest of the homes will have gas.

Some residents said they’ve become increasingly skeptical after several previous promises of restored service have been broken.

“I’ve heard ‘two more days’ a whole bunch of times since they shut the gas off Sept. 11,” said resident Sarah Rosenfield. “I have no hot water, no oven and no stove. I’ve been eating microwave food for a week.”

The problem began Sept. 9 when a large gas leak was discovered in the park, located on Rancho Santa Fe Road just south of state Route 78, the homeowners association said in a statement released Wednesday to U-T San Diego.

The gas was turned off Sept. 11 to repair the leak, but San Diego Gas & Electric has refused to restore service because of additional leaks and safety concerns, the statement said.

The association blames the problem on the park’s aging infrastructure and the relatively low incomes of its residents, who jointly bought the park from the city in 1994.

An SDG&E spokeswoman said Wednesday that officials from the utility have been at the park working with the homeowners association and its contractor on the leak problems.

The spokeswoman, Amber Albrecht, confirmed that the utility has blocked restoration of service based on safety concerns. But she declined to provide more details. She said the city would also have to sign off on any restoration of service.

City officials said they won’t play a role in solving the problems because the park is owned by the residents, not the city.

“We don’t have involvement with their utility issues,” city spokeswoman Jenny Windle said Wednesday.

Resident Bryan Neves, who has lived in the park nearly 30 years, said he and his neighbors are frustrated and edgy.

“I can’t do laundry and I’m sick of eating TV dinners,” he said. “Everybody is freaking out.” Neves said many residents are worried they’ll be asked for money they don’t have to cover the repairs.

Rosenfield said she’s been told by homeowners association officials that the repairs might cost as much as $1 million. She also said she’s worried the park might get condemned if the leaks can’t be found and repaired.

Rosenfield said association officials told her many of the gas lines were laid out incorrectly and that maintenance problems have been ignored over the years.

She said the park is home to many elderly residents, who can’t easily travel to restaurants and coin laundries.

She said there are also many families with young children, who can’t afford to eat out or go to a hotel for a few days.

In its written statement, the homeowners group said aging infrastructure is a problem facing many mobile home communities.

“It is nearly impossible for manufactured housing communities, with many residents on fixed incomes, to afford the millions of dollars to replace their gas systems,” the statement says.